Species: Ursus americanus

American Black Bear

Species

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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Pelage is usually black, brown, or reddish, but some in Pacific Northwest are bluish or whitish. Snout is tan or grizzled, straight or slightly convex in side view. Males grow larger than females, may reach several hundred pounds. Head and body length 150-180 cm, tail about 12 cm, mass about 90-140 kg for females, 115-270 kg for males (Nowak 1991, Burt and Grossenheider 1964).

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Family

Ursidae

Genus

Ursus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100661

Classification

Other Global Common Names

ours noir

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Carnivores

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Carnivora - Ursidae - Ursus - See Cronin et al. (1991) and Shields and Kocher (1991) for information on phylogenetic relationships of North American ursids based on an analysis of mitochondrial DNA (black bear has been separated from brown and polar bears much longer than brown and polar bears have been separated from each other).

Ecology and Life History

Short General Description

A bear.

Migration

true - false - false - >

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Opportunistic omnivore. Variable diet of plants and animals (vertebrates and invertebrates), commonly including fruits, insects, and carrion; also garbage. There is no evidence of black bears being preferentially attracted to human menstrual odors or attacking menstruating women (Rogers et al. 1991).

Reproduction Comments

Breeding occurs in June-July. Implantation is delayed about 4 months (also reported as 5-6 months). Gestation lasts 7-7.5 months (average 220 days). Females give birth every 2 years at most. Young are born in January-February, stay with mother until fall of second year. Litter size is 1-5 (modal number generally is 2 or 3, average is less than 2 in western North America). Females generally first give birth at 2-5 years (usually 4-5 years).<br><br>A female bear's reproductive success is dependent on her condition when she enters winter dormancy. A female that has fed well in autumn puts on much body fat and gives birth to usually 2 (rarely up to 5) cubs, whereas a female in poor condition does not produce any cubs. In the southern Appalachians, productivity and survival of young were enhanced when fall food (especially hard mast) supply was favorable (Eiler et al. 1989).<br>

Ecology Comments

Density estimates in different areas: 1 bear per 1.3-8.8 sq km. Estimated density of 0.52-0.66 bears/sq km at Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, is the highest known density in the southeastern U.S.

Length

160

Weight

200000

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

2003-09-09

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-15

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

B - 100-250 square km (about 40-100 square miles) - B - Black bears exist throughout most of North America north of central Mexico, except the desert region of the southwestern United States, from north-central Alaska across boreal Canada to Labrador and Newfoundland, and south to central California, northern Nevada, northern Nayarit and southern Tamaulipas (Mexico), and Florida (Wozencraft, in Wilson and Reeder 1993). However, the species has been eliminated from most of the Midwest by intensive agriculture and human settlement. Now it occurs primarily in remaining large forested tracts.

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

100-250 square km (about 40-100 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100661